Charlie's Birthday
by A Unique Kunoichi
Summary: March twenty eighth. Today, Charlie, heroine and crime fighter undercover, turned nineteen. Today, it was her birthday.      And she had no one to share it with.    KaldurxOC.  Inspired by a few roleplays done with a friend.


Charlie's Birthday

By A Unique Kunoichi

_Wow...seven pages on Microsoft Works Word Processor, but it's finally done, even if it's almost a week late for Charlie's birthday. I have to say, this is probably the longest fanfic I've written, and I had no idea it would be so lengthy. For those of you who don't like a long read, my apologies. I will admit, a good half of it is flashbacks, or flashbacks within falshabcks - in other words, the stuff that's italicized, and the stuff that's bolded and italicized. The bolded and italicized stuff comes from roleplays a friend and I did together, which honestly inspired me to write this whole thing. My friend is the one who got me into Young Justice in the first place, and he's great at roleplaying Kaldur who, needless to say, has become my favorite character. So with that being said, a huge thank you to Mr. Sea._

_My, I'm talking too much. I'm sorry._

_This is my first fanfic for Young Justice, so please don't be too harsh and kill me if I made Kaldur/Aqualad horribly OOC. Reviews and favoriting are welcome, but if you flame I'm just going to ignore you. I don't own Young Justice or any of its characters, except my OC, Charlie/Choco Buns. Enjoy._

March twenty eighth. Today, Charlie, heroine and crime fighter undercover, turned nineteen. Today, it was her birthday.

And she had no one to share it with.

Through Choco, Charlie had fought many new, strong opponents - including an gargantuan man robbing a local bank with abnormal superstrength, some sort of hellhound terrorizing and killing civilians… Each experience had tried her physical and mental durability, as if the world was testing just how worthy of a heroine, if at all, she was. These were not the minor, petty bad guys she'd defeated early into her crime fighting career. Each opponent came stranger and stronger than the last - yet in the end, Charlie hardly crumbled. And when she did, someone had her back, and thanks to the key help of others, the city's civilians got to live safely. As safely as possible in such a place, without factoring in the deaths from the rampages on the villains' ends. That in itself was a success, though the deaths were never forgotten or treated lightly. Lives were lives, after all.

With a sigh, Charlie quietly walked along the sidewalk from her job at the local library. She was on break for lunch, reminiscing about her seventeenth birthday - the final one spent with her foster parents. It wasn't a showy or costly party; a celebration between two foster parents and their beloved foster daughter. But it was special, because for once Charlie felt loved. The memory sent a pang of home sickness through her...some days it was harder than others without them. Trying with much difficulty to shake it from her head, she started to head towards a nearby restaurant, but stopped herself. She wasn't very hungry. Instead, Charlie began to walk by Happy Harbor; she'd never really stopped to admire the beach before, and she still had plenty of time until she'd be needed back at the library.

When she'd reached the beach, the brunette took off her socks and shoes, carrying them with her as she walked. The sand was cool against her feet and pleasant upon contact, and the scent of salty ocean air soothed her into relaxation. Charlie cast her gaze to the sea; powerful but elegant blue-green waves crashed against the sand, white foam riding on the edges. _'Maybe I'll go here more once summer comes around,'_ she thought to herself with a smile. However, her thoughts were cut short as she noticed a figure ahead standing before the ocean. Squinting in an attempt to make out who it was, Charlie's eyes widened in shock shortly after.

It was a certain dark skinned, blond haired Atlantean.

'_Kaldur?'_

_It had been a little over a month ago the first time they'd met. That particular evening, a giant moth had been looming over Gotham, spewing harmful acid onto the city below. Choco was there during the event and had tried to make it leave the civilians and their home alone. And for a while, she was convinced she'd won. However, the bunny wasn't entirely right._

_**The brunette would've done a victory cheer, but something stopped her short. Perhaps it was the not-so-minor fact that now that she'd damaged the creature's mouth, it was dripping the harmful acid that was destroying the city below them. This presented her with another problem, but before Choco could even give a decent thought to what her next plan would be, she found herself soaring higher on the insect's back. A terrified scream left the brunette's lungs as she balled her hands into fists, her clutch from before only tightening. She never was good with heights. **_

_That was when he came in and…well, saved her._

_**Seemingly out of nowhere, a pink and black ship appeared beside the giant flying insect. The back hatch opened up, revealing a dark skinned male with blond hair and blue eyes, clad in his reddish orange Atlantean armor. Both hands reached back for his water bearers as he jumped out of the ship. The black eel tattoos that decorated his arms began to glow a light blue as he drew his weapons from their resting place, manipulating the water in his pack to the form of a whip. The whip-like structure wrapped around one of the insect's legs, and, using the force from his legs, swung around to land on its back beside the heroine. "I am here to help," he said rather calmly, giving the situation. Quickly, the whip from his waterbearers shifted form, this time in the shape of a sword. "Ahh!" with one mighty swing from his blade, he sliced clean through the leathery wing of the creature. The insect screeched again from the damage, beginning to lose altitude. "Grab onto my hand. Hurry." He offered a hand out to her, ready to leap off the beast once she did.**_

_**Grey eyes went wide in awe, shock, and fright all at once as the entire situation shifted. She was still processing everything; being rescued by this mysterious male - he couldn't have been older than her -, his weaponry and calm demeanor, and the ship he'd come from. Just who was he? But Choco had no time to think. Suddenly, her rescuer sliced through one of the creature's wings. If she did nothing, she'd plummet to the ground with the enormous wounded insect. The girl would have time to think about what'd just happened later, as well as who this person was and what his capabilities were. Reasoning that he was trustworthy enough, Choco quietly and somewhat shakily grasped his hand. "I, uh…thank you." she stupidly murmured, not knowing what else to say. She was relieved and embarrassed at the same time. **_

_He was kind to her….Aqualad, as he'd introduced himself. Unfortunately, she'd bounced before they could actually have a decent conversation - her self denial was eating away at her, and if she'd stayed things would've only gotten awkward._

_Fortunately for Choco, she'd get another chance - as would Charlie._

_A mere week later she'd literally run into the hero on the streets unintentionally, while he was getting something to eat. She was in a more pensive state and hadn't been paying attention, and their bodies bumped. It was when Charlie actually looked at who she'd knocked into that she realized he seemed familiar. Apparently, so did he._

_**"Oh, I'm sorry." Quickly, he knelt down to scoop up the food he dropped, looking up at the person he bumped. Light blue eyes squinted when he saw her. "You...You look familiar."**_

_**The young woman was interrupted from her thoughts when the body of another person collided with hers. Whirling around, she quickly gave an, "I'm sorry!" simultaneously as the other person, eyeing the untouched hot dog its owner had dropped. "Oh…I'll get you another, if you w-"**_

_**Kaldur stood up, tossing it in the trash. "Oh..it's you.." He wiped his hands together to brush the crumbs off his fingertips. "It's been a while." The way he spoke to her was as if they actually had a long conversation. "I do not think that we have been properly acquainted." He extended his hand out for her to shake. "My name is...Kaldur'ahm, but my friends call me Kaldur. I do not think you have told me yours."**_

_**The way Kaldur spoke to her left Charlie genuinely surprised, but in a good way. The familiarity he used with her lightened her mood, even if they had only, in fact, met that day…when he rescued her. She shook his hand with a warm smile that reached her eyes, which said a lot given the pessimistic state she'd been in lately. "It's great to meet you, Kaldur, she replied. Charlie was unsure if it would be all right to call him that, but decided it should be okay if he'd told her his nickname. "I'm Charlie. I'm sorry I left so suddenly that other day, but I wasn't…" she struggled for words, but just shook her head. "Something came up." She glanced to the trashcan, then back to Kaldur. "If you're still hungry, I can buy you another hot dog." Charlie giggled softly, though she still felt bad about being the cause of his food going to waste. **_

_**After giving her hand a firm and friendly shake, Kaldur released his grip, letting his hand fall back to his side. "The pleasure is all mine, Charlie," he replied with a welcoming smile. "You need not worry about me. I am...not that hungry. Would it be too much trouble to ask you to walk with me?"**_

_**Despite her small slip-up with her explanation earlier, Charlie admittedly began to feel relaxed, even welcome. Kaldur seemed polite enough, as well as a pretty nice person, and…well, she'd never had a friend before, let alone a steady acquaintance. Being a sheltered orphan and foster child for most of her life did that to her, even with her current undercover job as a librarian - she wasn't use to the company of others. So when Kaldur asked her to walk with him, the brunette heroine was fairly excited. "Not at all," she immediately insisted without any hesitation.**_

_For a little while, the two talked about their interests, what they did in their spare time. To Charlie, telling someone else about herself was a special sort of rarity, but a pleasant one. And as Kaldur revealed more about himself and his occupation, her fascination and comfort with him grew. _

_Little did she know, he'd make her an offer that would be hard to refuse._

"_**Would you be interested in joining my team?" **_

_**His question to her put her in another humbled, awestruck state entirely. Putting effort into keeping herself from gaping like a moron, Charlie's eyes widened. "…You would want me?" She didn't know what to say. On one hand she wanted to immediately accept, but on the other… She was hardly a strong, experienced heroine. What if she only held them back? Uncertainty knotted her stomach, and suddenly the girl felt incredibly conflicted. "I would love to, but…" a sigh left her lips. "I doubt I'm as experienced or strong as any of you. I feel like I'd be a hindrance." She looked down bashfully. Her one chance to make something of herself, and she'd probably just blown it. **_**'Way to go.'**

_**Kaldur simply nodded to her question. "We could definitely use someone like you on our team." When she declined, he stopped in place, turning so he was facing her directly. "You need not worry about experience, Charlie. We have a member on our team that lacked experience when she joined, but she has proven to be a valuable asset to us. The League will train you. Make you stronger, better." He placed a hand gently on her shoulder, offering her a reassuring smile. "I will give you time to think about it. I know it is sudden, and whenever you change your mind, the offer will still be on the table."**_

'**We could definitely use someone like you on our team.' **_**Those words hit something in her, hard. Was it hope? Whatever it was, it was enough for a shy blush to rise to Charlie's cheeks. There were those thoughts in her mind that what he'd said was only to be polite, but…from what she'd observed so far, Kaldur didn't seem like one to feign anything. She stopped walking as he did, and as he continued to speak to her, her hope and determination only grew. Hesitantly, the female looked up to face him when he touched her, and she spoke. "Thank you, Kaldur. I promise to get back to you on your offer. But for now, I need time to think, if that's okay." She paused, smiling at him. "It was great to see you again. When I've made up my mind I'll seek you out." The brunette reached up to give his hand a light, friendly squeeze before gently lowering it off of her body - didn't want to send him sailing with her, after all. With a light tap of her toes, Charlie was airborne, bouncing off to a quiet place to reflect on the day's events.**_

The memories made Charlie sigh in shame. She'd left him there, just like that, after he'd given her such a wonderful offer. And for what? Because her nerves had gotten the better of her?

Nearly a year of crime fighting and she had no one, excluding the heroes and heroines that were sometimes luckily around while she was on the job. She'd had nobody to consult with, nobody to help and train her on a daily basis. Though Charlie would be reluctant to admit it, it made her occupation as Choco Buns that much more difficult and tiring.

Kaldur had faith in her…he'd clearly shown her that. He was willing to take her in and strengthen the abilities she had, make her one of the team. But because of her insecurities and humble demeanor, she'd left his offer unanswered.

'_No more,' _the female thought determinedly as she began to compose herself. _'My mind is made up.'_

Gathering her courage, Charlie took a deep breath and began to walk over to him. While doing so Kaldur seemed to notice there was someone else present, and the blond Atlantean turned his head to see who was approaching. The male's features held shock, but an amiable smile and politeness as well. When at last she'd stopped before him, Kaldur spoke.

"Charlie? It is a pleasant surprise to see you again."

She offered a light smile in return. "It's nice to see you again too, Kaldur. I didn't think we'd run into each other like this." Her words triggered memories from last time's meeting, and they both laughed.

"What brings you here?" Kaldur's words prompted her to speak.

"I'm on my lunch break," Charlie responded. "I haven't been to the beach in a while, and I thought I'd stop by while it's still less crowded." She offered a sheepish smile. "I'm sure you know how popular it gets during the summer."

Kaldur chuckled. "I do." His brunette acquaintance gave him a look of mild curiosity.

"And why are you here, Kaldur?"

Light blue eyes cast their gaze to the sea. "I come here when I want to relax. The sea always seems to have a calming effect on me." He spoke, and Charlie could recognize the melancholy tone in his voice. She wanted to reach out and touch him, comfort him. Instead, the brunette quietly suppressed the urge.

"I can see why." She spoke softly, grey eyes fixing on the waves and horizon as she went to stand beside him. The sun shone brightly in the sky, and its rays cast light onto the ocean's waves beautifully. If Kaldur hadn't been standing beside her and she didn't have work to return to, she probably would've stood there for hours marveling at the beauty of it all. Her lips parted in an exhale, releasing her breath into the cool ocean air. "It's so wonderful."

"It is indeed," Kaldur agreed, and when he spoke again Charlie could still hear the sadness in his voice. "It was my home…" Suddenly, it all made sense to her.

Tentatively, she reached for his hand and took it in her own. His skin was soft against hers, the webbing between his fingers smooth. It was foreign to her but it was unique, nice… She liked it. When he didn't try to pull away the way she feared he would, Charlie relaxed her grasp and gave Kaldur's hand what she hoped to be a comforting squeeze.

"I know what it's like to feel homesick." Her lips tugged into a sad, empathetic smile as she looked over to him. "I miss my foster parents all the time. Since today's my birthday, it's one of those days that are much harder without them."

Kaldur's normally calm, stoic expression shifted as he frowned. His grip on her hand tightened into a strong, yet gentle squeeze in return. "I am sorry." His words came out as a low, sympathetic murmur. "It is a shame. A person's birthday should be a day of joy, not of such sadness."

This earned a small giggle from Charlie. "It's fine. After a while, you get used to it." She waved her free hand dismissively, trying to make light of the subject at hand though her eyes looked down at the sand beneath her - for she knew they would betray her, and she didn't want Kaldur to know the extent of her pain. A silence fell over the two, and for some time they simply stood together before the enormous waves, comfortably enjoying the quiet as it stretched on. When at last she felt the time was right, Charlie spoke.

"There's something I want to tell you, Kaldur." Her stomach was doing flips, but the young woman chose to ignore them. This was what she needed. What she _wanted_.

"Yes, Charlie?"

_"We could definitely use someone like you on our team." _

Remembering his words from that day only pushed her further. Her gaze lifted to meet his, and his eyes looked into hers with kind patience. He couldn't have been older than her, yet she felt he was more mature than she was.

It was admirable. It was attractive. And those eyes…

"I've been thinking about your offer." It was a challenge to keep her voice steady and thoughts straight, but she managed.

Lightly, Kaldur lifted a brow but said nothing.

"And I'm sorry it's taken me such a long time. I…I was nervous. About not being good enough, about holding you all back." For that moment Charlie looked to the side bashfully. "But I've made my decision, Kaldur, and I want to join you." There was a pause before she added, "…That is, if you still want me on your team."

Her cheeks flushed in surprise as a hand reached up and gently laid fingertips against her cheek, turning her head to face him. As soon as his eyes focused upon hers, Kaldur dropped his hand to his side. A heartfelt smile formed on his lips, and for the first time she'd ever see, something unnamable lit those light blue eyes of his. Something amazing.

"That is wonderful news."

Charlie's eyes widened. No words would come.

"If that is truly your final decision, then I only have one thing to say."

She waited anxiously, her head swimming, her heart racing.

"Welcome to the team, Charlie."

Her heart skipped a beat. Then the realization of it all kicked in as his words began to repeat in her head. _"Welcome to the team, Charlie."_

It started as a twitch of her lips, then led to a smile, and finally a wide grin followed by a squeal and joyous laughter. Without hesitation, Charlie hugged Kaldur with a crushing, happy squeeze, to which he responded to with a light chuckle. "This is…I can't even…" she squealed again, giving him another squeeze. "This is so awesome! Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!"

Ever the calm one with a few exceptions, the Atlantean gave her a squeeze in return, strong hands smoothing down her back. "Thank _you_." He peered down at her. "I should take you to the others. I am sure they will be excited about this."

Having calmed down a bit, the brunette smiled up at him. "I hope so. I know I am." She was still wrapping her mind around the whole event. A team. A _real team_. She didn't have to be alone anymore.

"One more thing, Charlie."

Blinking, she looked at him curiously. "Yes, Kaldur?"

With a smile, he gave her one last light squeeze. "Happy birthday."

Although her parents weren't there, it was easily one of the best she'd ever had.


End file.
